Twins 5, Red Sox 2
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Minnesota Twins are off to a sunny start at Target Field.
After nearly three decades inside the Metrodome, the Twins moved outdoors and beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 Monday behind hometown star Joe Mauer in the first regular-season game at their new ballpark.
Jason Kubel hit the first home run and Carl Pavano earned the first victory.
Red-white-and-blue bunting hung from the ledges and commissioner Bud Selig was in attendance for the celebration, as the crowd of 39,715 snapped cell-phone pictures of the first pitch by Pavano.
The unpredictable spring weather played right along, too, with a blue, breezy 65-degree afternoon.
Pavano (2-0) gave up four hits and one run in six innings and the Twins bullpen backed him up, with Jon Rauch recording his fifth save.
Jon Lester (0-1) labored through five innings for the Red Sox, throwing only 59 of his 107 pitches for strikes.
Kubel homered into the right-field seats in the seventh inning. Kubel and Mauer, the AL MVP, each had three hits and drove in two runs.
White Sox 8, Blue Jays 7, 11 innings
TORONTO (AP) - Mark Teahen tripled home the go-ahead run in the 11th inning and the Chicago White Sox snapped Toronto's five-game winning streak and spoiled the Blue Jays' home opener.
Mark Kotsay led off the 11th with a pinch-hit single off Jeremy Accardo (0-1) and was replaced by pinch runner Omar Vizquel. Teahen followed with a triple to right center.
Teahen, who tied the game with a ninth-inning homer off Jason Frasor, finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs. He also singled home a run in the sixth.
Matt Thornton (1-0) worked two scoreless innings and Bobby Jenks pitched around a pair of two-out walks, getting Adam Lind to strike out and earning his second save.
The White Sox snapped a 10 game losing streak in Toronto, winning here for the first time since June 1, 2007.
Rays 5, Orioles 1
BALTIMORE (AP) - Matt Garza allowed one run in eight innings and Carl Crawford went 4 for 4 with a homer for Tampa Bay.
The game drew 9,129 fans, the smallest crowd in the 19-year history of Camden Yards.
Reid Brignac also homered for the Rays in their first road game of the season.
Felix Pie connected for the Orioles, who fell to 1-6 with their fourth straight loss. Baltimore has scored only three runs in its last three games.
Garza (2-0) gave up six hits, struck out five and walked three in beating the Orioles for the second time this season. The right-hander is 8-1 lifetime against Baltimore, including 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA in six career starts at Camden Yards.
Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie (0-2) allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings.
Athletics 4, Mariners 0
SEATTLE (AP) - Justin Duchscherer was terrific in his second start in 20 months, pitching into the eighth inning to help Oakland ruin Seattle's home opener.
Cliff Pennington homered and Gabe Gross had a two-run single for Oakland, off to a surprising 6-2 start.
Duchscherer (1-0) allowed two hits and walked two in 7 1-3 innings. The right-hander, a two-time All-Star, missed last season because of an elbow injury and was later treated for clinical depression.
Former Mariners star Randy Johnson sent a charge through the Safeco Field crowd with a ceremonial first pitch but Seattle still dropped to 2-6 for its worst start since beginning 1-7 in 2004.
Ryan Rowland-Smith (0-1) allowed just three hits in seven innings for Seattle, but issued a career-high five walks and allowed four runs.
Rangers 4, Indians 2, 10 innings
CLEVELAND (AP) - Nelson Cruz hit his fifth home run of the season, connecting in the 10th inning and sending the Texas Rangers over Cleveland and spoiling the Indians' sold-out opener and manager Manny Acta's home debut.
Cruz's two-run drive came with one out against Jamey Wright (0-1). Cruz leads the AL in home runs.
Frank Francisco (2-2), who lost his job as Texas' closer on Sunday, pitched a perfect ninth. Neftali Feliz, Francisco's temporary replacement, earned his third career save throwing fastballs at nearly 100 mph.
Shin-Soo Choo homered for the Indians, who have lost four in a row.
Royals 10, Tigers 5
DETROIT (AP) - Jose Guillen hit a two-run homer after his two-out foul popup was dropped by Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, helping Kansas City end the Tigers' four-game winning streak.
Guillen took advantage of Cabrera's error for a go-ahead homer in the fourth inning.
Scott Podsednik had four hits, including a two-run single in the sixth that helped the Royals pull away.
Luke Hochevar (1-0) won despite allowing five runs in five-plus innings. Max Scherzer (0-1) gave up five runs - just two earned - in five innings.